Chapter 64: Lian Zining’s realization..

Kunning Palace.

Ma Enhui looked at Zhu Yunwen holding a lacquer brush in his hand, with quite a bit of paint splattered on his clothes, and couldn’t help but frown. It wouldn’t be easy to wash off.

“Empress, come and take a look at how my sand table turned out,” Zhu Yunwen said, his lips curling into a slight smile.

Ma Enhui walked over and carefully examined the miniature sand table. It didn’t depict the entire Ming Empire but rather the Nan Zhili region, including fourteen prefectures such as Ying Tian, Suzhou, Fengyang, Yangzhou, Songjiang, and Huizhou.

The entire sand table, apart from the yellow clay base color, consisted of only two colors: a large area of yellow and small scattered areas of black.

The yellow areas were mostly contiguous and concentrated, while the black areas were scattered and more dispersed.

“Your Majesty, what is this for?” Ma Enhui couldn’t understand.

Zhu Yunwen put the paintbrush back into the paint bucket and smiled, “The court are discussing land disputes, aren’t they? This is prepared to silence those people.”

Ma Enhui shook her head slightly and smiled, “I don’t quite understand, but Your Majesty always has a way. After all, it is not a good thing to have officials in constant opposition.”

Zhu Yunwen admired his masterpiece and said, “It is not good for officials to be in opposition, as it hinders the smooth implementation of policies. However, if officials have no arguments and simply obey orders without question, then even I should be afraid.”

Allowing appropriate struggles among court officials and permitting differing opinions was Zhu Yunwen’s way of governance.

Although Zhu Yunwen didn’t like Hou Tai and the officials from the Censorate, they were still mirrors of the gentry class.

People always need mirrors.

Without these mirrors, how could one see the true state of the Ming Empire?

Ma Enhui brought over a set of clothes and helped Zhu Yunwen change while saying, “I don’t want to talk about these big matters. I only care about whether our medical gauze and alcohol can be sold.”

Zhu Yunwen looked at the money-minded Ma Enhui, reached out and tapped her forehead, and smiled, “Don’t worry, with Xie Jin here, Ru Chang will understand my intentions. If nothing unexpected happens, after the officials impeach the two kings, we will proceed with the trade.”

“Then it would be smooth sailing according to Your Majesty’s wishes.” Ma Enhui smiled.

Zhu Yunwen finished dressing and took Ma Enhui’s hand, looking into her beautiful eyes. He said affectionately, “I love your intelligence, but it’s unfortunate for the two kings.”

“It’s their good fortune to share Your Majesty’s worries and the worries of the Ming Dynasty.”

Ma Enhui lowered her head, her cheeks slightly blushing.

“Your Majesty, there is an urgent report from the Security Bureau.”

Shuangxi hurriedly entered and respectfully handed over a memorial.

Zhu Yunwen walked towards Shuangxi, took the memorial, and a smile appeared on his lips as he asked, “Where are the two kings?”

“They are still in the military camp, Your Majesty.”

Shuangxi replied.

Zhu Yunwen nodded with satisfaction. Although these two were born into the imperial family, they were not afraid of hardship. Since they were going to be unlucky, he decided to give them some reassurance.

“I remember there is still some ambergris in the imperial treasury. Take out half of it and give it to the two kings.”

Zhu Yunwen instructed.

Shuangxi acknowledged and left the room.

Ma Enhui walked over and complained, “Your Majesty, that’s ambergris. It’s produced from dragon saliva, and its precious and rare. Even in the capital, there are only a little over five taels. You are truly generous.”

“Dragon’s saliva?”

Zhu Yunwen blinked, looking skeptical.

Ma Enhui, with a pained expression, said, “Your Majesty, haven’t you heard? Ambergris is produced on Longxian Island. This island floats in the turbulent sea, and only when hundreds of dragons gather and play on the island during the spring, will they leave droplets of their saliva, forming ambergris. How can such a legendary treasure be given away so easily?”

“Um, has Empress been to Longxian Island?”

Zhu Yunwen felt frustrated. The imagination of people in ancient times was too rich.

Even casual fabrications were told with vivid details, including the location, animals, stories, and outcomes, and even an empress of an empire was fooled.

Ma Enhui shook her head and sighed, “Longxian Island is far overseas, elusive and unpredictable. How could I have seen it? Ambergris, ambergris, it’s said to be the saliva of a dragon. It’s such a waste to give it to the two kings.”

Zhu Yunwen burst into laughter and said, “Empress, ambergris is not actually the saliva of a dragon but a product of the sperm whale. It’s just ambergris, When Zheng He goes on his voyages, I’ll have him bring you a few catties as compensation.”

Ma Enhui couldn’t believe it. How could the sperm whale be associated with such a grand name as Ambergris? The Emperor must be trying to comfort her with kind words.

Thinking about the fragrance of the ambergris, Ma Enhui felt a sense of longing.

The fragrance of ambergris was as elegant as musk, with a subtle earthy scent, delicate and smooth, and its lingering aroma could last for months. It was rarely used in the palace on ordinary days.

As Zhu Yunwen expected, the Ministry of War prepared to purchase medical gauze and alcohol through commercial means and reported it to the Ministry of Revenue, requesting a sum of two hundred thousand taels.

Huang Zicheng, the Minister of Revenue, did not dare to neglect the matter. After careful study with the officials of the ministry, they discovered that these items were owned by the King of Liao and the King of Min. Huang Zicheng was displeased. The royal family was prohibited from engaging in commerce, which was an ancestral rule established by Zhu Yuanzhang.

It hadn’t been a year since Old Zhu passed away, and yet you all are disregarding his words?

How could a king involve himself in petty merchant affairs? This is unacceptable!

There must be an impeachment!

Moreover, they should be compelled to hand over the manufacturing methods of medical gauze and alcohol. How can such vital military resources be controlled by the Kings?

The Ministry of Revenue was like a broken window, with Huang Zicheng still contemplating and preparing the opening remarks. Meanwhile, Jing Qing, the Left Censor in chief of the Censorate, received the news and clapped his hands in delight.

These past few days had been difficult for Jing Qing. Although the land dispute had not yet been resolved, he was already in a precarious position. Every day, apart from drafting memorials, he was considering how to elegantly greet Huang Zicheng’s three generations, without losing his composure.

But it wasn’t a sustainable solution to just exchange greetings. After all, Huang Zicheng was also courteous and understood the principle of reciprocity. Every time he greeted him, he would greet him back.

Now, things were different. There would be no land dispute tomorrow, allowing them to rest for a day. First, they would impeach the kings for not following ancestral rules, for elevating commerce over noble conduct, and for lacking any sense of patriotism. Then they would accuse them of controlling the country’s essential resources for personal gain, endangering the nation and the military.

Jing Qing made the announcement, and naturally, his colleagues in the Censorate listened attentively.

Lian Zining, the Right Censor in chief, looked at the imposing figure of Jing Qing in silence and glanced at the memorial written by Hu Jun, “A Petition for the People of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.” After copying it dozens of times, Lian Zining finally changed his initial perspective.

Although Hu Jun’s words seemed alarmist, they were not baseless.

Looking back over the past ten or twenty years and observing the present, the changes are evident. If we project another thirty years ahead, it is feared that only one or two out of ten self-sustaining farmers will remain. When the imperial court wishes to obtain tax revenues, but can only extract them from these few self-sustaining farmers. minority bear the heaviest tax burden, while the majority either bear a very small portion of the tax or do not bear it at all.

If things continued like this, Lian Zining didn’t know if the lower class could survive or if they would revolt. But he knew one thing: by that time, the Ming government would likely have no money left.

In dire straits and with extreme hardships, how can it sustain itself?

Not to mention their own salaries, even in the face of natural disasters, the court cannot allocate funds for disaster relief. If a war were to break out, with internal troubles and external threats, their downfall is imminent!

Lian Zining put down the memorial, his gaze filled with a sense of worry. He picked up his pen and began to silently write the memorial “A Petition for the People of Jiangsu and Zhejiang.” Muttering to himself, he said, “The nation, the nation once it is established, the family must not be destroyed.”

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